The stirring orchestration of Sibelius’ patriotic Finlandia counters Haydn’s high-spirited and dramatic Cello Concerto No. 1, which remained undiscovered for two centuries until its chance 1961 find at the Czech National Library. Fittingly, Grieg’s four charming Symphonic Dances, inspired by Norwegian folk, also played a key role in formalizing Norway’s own national identity.

As the first of a trilogy of cantatas, Orff's irreverent Carmina Burana draws from a 13th century compilation of vagabond songs and poems detailing fate's fickleness, pagan delights, and corruption, with hypnotic sensuality and powerful rhythms. Hindemith's reworked Symphonic Dances emerged from a discarded ballet collaboration.

Our season concludes with three iconic compositions and two orchestral world premieres. Bernstein's toe-tapping Three Dance Episodes from On the Town, Copland's distinctively American Appalachian Spring Suite, and Gershwin's jazz-infused Rhapsody in Blue are paired with two works rooted in Western New York. Michael Daugherty's Niagara Falls is a musical journey through one of the world's great scenic wonders, while Buffalo-born Paul Moravec's Serenade—inspired by the Great Western Staircase at the New York State Capitol—offers a stirring narrative of ascent and aspiration.